-- THE ARCHIVE --

SRI LANKAJudicial CP - March 1956

Ceylon Daily News, Colombo, 16 March 1956

Lashes for molesting girl steno

(From Our Gampaha Cor.)

"I am giving you the maximum sentence. My regret is that I cannot give you more. You have brought disgrace on yourself and your suggestion about the girl's conduct is as diabolical as your defence," said Mr P. Malalgoda, Gampaha Magistrate in sentencing Amarasinghe Leanage Charles Ranasinghe, of Batuwatte, a porter of the C.G.R., to six months' rigorous imprisonment on two counts consecutively.

The Magistrate also bound him over in Rs.250 for six months and ordered him to receive six strokes with a rattan.

In this case, Sub-Inspector D.B. Dissanayake, of the Ragama Police, charged A.L. Charles Ranasinghe with using criminal force in a railway compartment on Miss N. Weerappah (19) of Cotta Road, Rajagiriva, with intent to outrage her modesty and also threatening her with a revolver.

Miss Weerappah, a stenographer at Messrs Jatterjee and Bros, Colombo, had come to Ragama by train with her grand aunt aged 72 years. On their return they took the 7 p.m. train.

Ordered out

When they got into a ladies compartment there were two male passengers whom the accused ordered out. As the train moved off, the accused had come along the footboard into the compartment and posing off as a security officer on duty held Miss Weerappah by the hand and threatening her with a pistol said that she should come with him when the train stopped at the next halt.

When Miss Weerappah pulled the communication cord the accused took to his heels.

The accused in his defence denied the charges and said that he saw Miss Weerappah misbehaving with N. Paramanathan in a compartment and he found fault with both. This case was fabricated by Miss Weerappah and Paramanathan as a result of the incident.

The Magistrate found the accused guilty and after passing sentence told Miss Weerappah: "I apologise to you on behalf of the law and you leave this Court without any blemish on your name."